Portable folding bed



c A. :4. SMITH PORTABLE FOLDING BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10. 1924 Oct. 18,1927. I A MSMITH I 1,646,116

PORTABLE FOLDING BED Filed Sept. 10. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 18, 1927,

ARTHUR M. smrtrn, onset: raanorsdo,

STEARNS COMPANY, OF SAN" FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

l UNITED sT T s PATENT OFFICE-1T1.

,oAL-IronNIA, Assronon ro MARSHALL a.

- ronrannr: roLnnvG, BED.

Application filed September 10, 1924. sw m). 736,872.

'This'inv'ention relates to portable folding beds of the type mounted. on a carriage frame adapted to be u -ended thereon so as v to be" moved about rom place to place within a room and stored in narrow closet spaces.

It is desirable in such beds to provide 1 counter-balancing springs to assist 1n the raising of the bed tofolded position, but in employing counter-balancing springs there is a tendency for the carriage frame of the bed tov flop or fold over on the bed frame when the latter is extended, and the springs are under heavy tension, for the reason that the carriage frame is merely mounted on.

rollers, and is not anchored as in the case of wall-beds. This tendency for the carriage frame to tip' is also accentuated byreason of the fact that the base of the carriage frame must be kept within narrow limits, tocpermit of its beingstored in sinall spacesi V The object ofthe present invention'is; to provide simple and inexpensive meansv for preventing the carriage frame fromflopping.

over on to the bed frame when the bejdis extended and the counter-balancing springs are under tension. A further object is to provide extensible means for thisfpurposa,

and to control the action of 'thesame, so that when the bed frame is extended said means will be automatically extended into position to brace or support the carriage frame against tilting movement, and when the bed frame is folded said means will automatically be retracted into compact folding position against the carriage frame.

This object I accomplish by the provision oflaterally swinging supports or braces so connected with the bed frame that when the latter is lowered or extended the braces or supports are automatically swung out to position beneath the bed frame and the front of'the carriage frame, and in engagej mentwith the floor, and when the bed frame is folded said swinging supports are autoassume is exem lified in the following:

description and lllustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in which Fig. shows aperspect-ive view of a bed in extended position and equipped with mechanism in accordance with my inven- Ition; I I

g 4 ig.2 shows a plan view insectiorr of the head portion of the bed, illustrating the means for controlling the swinging move, Y ment of one of the braces; y

Fig. 3 showsfa perspective view of the connections between the folding bedframe and oneof said braces or supports; i p

Fig. 4 shows a perspective View of the bed shown in Fig. 1, with thebed frame in raised position; p i

Fig. 5 shows a view similar to Fig. 2, with the brace or support in extended position;

portion of the bed in, elevation, illustrating one of the swinging braces 01 supports in folded osition. i i

The olding bed of com prises rails 9 -,and a front bar .10, formin a substantially rectangular frame in plan, mounted upon-rollers or casters 11.. Pivotally mounted upon the side rails 9 is a bed, frame 12 carrying at its outer endthe usual folding foot-piece 13. This bed frame is counter-balanced by means of fcontraotible helicalsprings. 14f extendingnfrom a crossbar 15 on the bed frame to the front bar 10 of the carriage frame. i Y

It will be seen that when the bed frame is lowered or extended as illustrated in Fig. 1, there is a tendency for thecarriage frame to flop forwardly, due to the action ofthe springs 14 under tension, the short or nar row wheel base of the said carriage frame being insuflicient to prevent such tilting of the said carriage frame. To overcome this tilting or flopping of the carriage frame I provide an extensible brace or support, 16 at each side of the carriage frame and .in front thereof. Each brace or support is pivotallyconnected on a vertically disposed axis to the front of one of the side rails 9, so as to swing horizontally or nearly so. The toe or outer end of each brace or support is provided with a caster or roller 17 for contact with the floor when the brace or support is extended in a position to align with the side rails 9.. These braces or supports are adapted to be folded in a position parallel with the front rail 10 of the carriage frame and their pivots are referably arranged. at a slight inclination; that when 'Fig. 6 shows a detailview of the head,

the present invention l a carr age frame WhlCll consists prererably of an upright headpiece 8,. si-de at its outer end is connected with a link 20,

which in turn connects with the adjacent brace or support. 'The opposite ends of both levers 18 aretconnected together by a con tractible helical spring 21 acting to pull both levers into position where the braces or supports are extended. There is an upstanding lug 22 on each lever, so positioned as to be engaged by the end-rail at the head of the bed frame when the latter is being moved into closed or folded position. This end-rail, as indicated in Fig. 4. strikes the upstandinglug 22 and causes the levers 18 to be swung into the position shown in Fig, 2, where the legs or braces 16 will be folded in front of the carriage frame.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple and inexpensive mechanism for bracingand supporting. a carriage frame against forward tilting movement when the bed frame is extended, and

the counter-balancing springs are unoer ten sion. These braces or supports are positioned beneath the bed frame, and are automatically controlled so as to befolded when the bed frame is in closed position.

By the present arrangement I am enabled to counter-balance the bed frame with counter-balaricing springs, thus dispensing with the weights generally employed heretofore for counter-balancing portable beds of this character.

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts herein shown and described may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention as disclosed in the appended claim,

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters, Patent is:

In a portable folding bed having a carriage frame of substantially rectangular outline, an up-ending bed pivotally mounted on the carriage frame, counter-balancing springs connected to the head of the bed frame and to the forward portion of the carriage frame near the bottom of the latter for assisting in raising the bed frame, a laterally swinging brace pivoted to the front portion of the carriage frame at each side thereof, and provided with a caster at its outer end for contact with the floor, and means controlled by the raising and lowering of the bed frame, to cause said braces to be moved into extended position in front of the carriage frame when the bed frame is lowered, and to be swung into folded posi tion adjacent the carriage frame when the bed frame is raised, said control means including a lever for each brace, springs connecting said levers together and serving to swing said braces into extended position, and

means on each lever for contact with the be retracted.

I ARTHUR M. SMITH. 

